Tomahawk angle trisector - photo

[mklotz]

I've had numerous left-side-of-the-mean types complain about the compass and straightedge restriction. (Why not just measure the angle with a protractor and divide by three?)

What they fail to realize that this restriction is the mathematics version of having a metalworker trainee make perfect parts using only a square and file. You learn to focus on the features of the part and not on the available tools.

Not many math tools existed in the time of Euclid (~300 BC) but that's not the reason for the restriction. It's more related to his idea of deriving mathematical relationships from the very simplest of assumptions.

More here...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straig...s_construction